Musicians Assist In Velvet Lounge Relocation

  I  

Musicians, fans and friends are organizing special concerts and a fund drive to help pay for the relocation and buildout of new storefront space for Fred Anderson’s Velvet Lounge in Chicago’s South Loop. Its current location is scheduled for demolition to make way for a private, high-rise tower. The new space is planned around the corner and within sight of the old location, and will include many artifacts from the old club. The new location will include better sightlines in a column-free stage and seating area, new restrooms, and a storage room for musicians’ gear. Private supporters have set the goal of raising more than $100,000 in private contributions.

Performers for an upcoming fundraising concert include: Edward Wilkerson; David Boykin Expanse; The Gam Squad; Tatsu Aoki; Douglas Ewart; Dennis Winslett; Jabari Liu; Malachi Thompson; Corey Wilkes; Dan Godston; Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble; Dushun Mosley; Isaiah Spencer; Michael Zerang; Isaiah Jackson; Rob Pleshar; and additional guests. Tickets are $20 for the show, which is May 27 at the Velvet Lounge.

Contributions may be made to the relocation and buildout project through the Velvet Lounge web site, www.velvetlounge.net.



  • Sheila_Jordan_by_Mark_Sheldon_copy.jpeg

    Jordan was a dyed-in-the-wool bebopper whose formative musical experiences were with Charlie Parker.

  • DownBeat_palmieri.jpg

    “I don’t guess I’m going to excite you; I know I’m going to excite you,” Palmieri said in an August 1994 DownBeat feature.

  • Buster_Williams_by_Jimmy_Katz_copy.jpg

    “What I got from Percy was the dignity of playing the bass,” Buster Williams said of Percy Heath.

  • Don_and_Maureen_Sickler_by_Richard_Halterman_copy_2.jpg

    Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.

  • 241e91ef-80d3-7409-17b8-d66ab05d21a1_EE.jpg

    ​The Free Slave, Cosmos Nucleus and Sunset To Dawn: three classic Muse albums being reissued this fall by Timer Traveler Recordings.